The invention relates to an ultrasonic transducer for use in a catheter apparatus and more particularly to such a transducer having an electrical connection configuration providing for optimum performance and noise rejection.
Catheters utilizing ultrasonic transducers for performing intraluminal ultrasonic imaging are known in the art. Typically, the transducer generates a high-frequency electrical signal, on the order of 30 MHz, which is utilized to generate an image.
The quality of an image is degraded by radio frequency noise which may be mixed with the signal. A typical hospital environment has many sources of noise, e.g., patient monitoring systems, intra aortic balloon pumps, x-ray systems, and computer components. These sources of noise may be coupled to a transducer generated signal by the conductors utilized to transmit the signal from the transducer to the image generating system.
Since the quality of the image generated by the system is increased when noise is reduced there is a critical need for improved technology to reduce the noise generated spurious RF signals present in the operating room.